trans womanhood, in colour

i am the flower that grows out of the cliffsideoverhanging the lake on thin soilbirthed by lichen that digested rocksthat i might bloom in her body

i am the flower growing out of the cliffwill you pick me as proof of where you’ve been?moved by my beautyinspired by my resilience

will you display me so that you may walk forwardon your helping pathtelling the world about flowers on cliffsin thin soilas you wait for recognition politelyin practical cloaks of humility and common goodness?

will you dry me outpressed in the pages of a bookhidden from the light and windthat once fed me

but now would destroy me?

or will you leave me behindlying on the groundmy strong stembrokenmy careful bloomwithered

i am the flower that grows out of the cliffside.a beacon. a prayer.a target.

Jia Qing Wilson-Yang is a writer and occasional musician living in Toronto, Ontario. She's a mixed-race trans-woman working on an upcoming novel with metonymy press (metonymypress.com). She is very excited to have her poems included in this particular issue of this particular magazine.